


Asagao's Secret

by nightmares_and_vials



Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club, Hidden Block (Video Blogging RPF)
Genre: F/F, Jekyll and Hyde, Multi, Murder, Murder Mystery, Murdertown, yungtown - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-10 08:13:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11123268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightmares_and_vials/pseuds/nightmares_and_vials
Summary: --- “It’s a mystery that’s haunted Asagao for years now. It’s random and like the flip of a switch. Fine, and then five people get murdered. The stuff of legends, I’d call it.”New student Hana Mizuno is greeted by a graveyard when she comes to Asagao Academy. Her new friends try to explain it to her, but not much is known about the gruesome murders that occur at the school and surrounding town. Taking it upon herself to discover the truth, she forges friendships and even a slight crush, although her focus is on the case.When murders start again, she must hurry and find the killer before it finds her.///rated M for violence and gore only///





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> The characters are loosely based on both their fictional persona and their real-life personas, with the exception of the purely fictional ones. In real life, they have actual significant others, so please keep in mind that this is Asagao-land, and should be treated as such around the boys. There will be gore later in the story, but these chapters will come with a warning. The concept is based on Luke's killing sprees in his streams (Murdertown is the king) and many of the ideas come from him himself. Enjoy!

\-------------------

New day, new school. Hana Mizuno straightened her jacket in the reflection of the train window. The guy who had been in her compartment earlier had already left, and the train was coming to a halt. He had seemed jumpy, she thought, and jumpy was something she understood. But he had also seemed to be attempting to lay down the charm, but something was distracting him. But what did she know? It wasn’t as if guys ever meant it, honestly. Her bright bubblegum hair attracted their interest, and when they realized she was simply a nobody, they took off pretty quick. She’d never had a real boyfriend, just a few dates that ended with the person sneaking to the bathroom. Even the girls she very rarely went out with ended up leaving, albeit a little gentler. With a sigh, Hana turned to leave her carriage, not wanting to linger with her reflection any longer.

She looked past her reflection quickly before she fully turned and gasped quietly. Her body turned back and she walked closer to the window of the car, flattening her hand on the glass. Her glasses clanked against the glass as she peered out, her mouth agape. Her first sight within the grounds near Asagao, and she saw this? 

Moving quickly by the train was a small graveyard. Or what looked to be one, anyway, because it was mostly brand new stones, maybe just boulders, with roughly done inscriptions too small and far away to see. Each mound of earth seemed relatively fresh, from a few years to a few months old. It was blocked by a fence with a bright banner reading: “KEEP SAFE STUDENTS”; a rather ominous warning, Hana thought, and a cold shiver ran down her back. She had thought that Asagao Academy was a safe place, a new home, better than the one she left. This all just seemed to say that it could be more dangerous.

“A little demented, isn’t it?” A male voice stole Hana from her shock and fearful thoughts, startling her. She took a breath and looked round to see who had entered the little cabin.

A boy – er, man? – stood in the doorway, his jacket sleeves rolled up with his hands stuffed in his dress pants’ pockets. He, like the guy who had shared the compartment with her earlier, had a non-uniform club jacket on, but in different colours. A black cap was perched on his head with large, ear-covering headphones sitting just off of his ears. The look on his face told Hana that he, too, couldn’t look away from the graveyard, his eyes hooded and his lips turned down into a small frown. Hana waited, but he seemed fixated on the yard.

“Um… yeah. What is it?” The guy blinked before turning his head to look at her, and the smile shifted into a small smile. He seemed to survey her, probably trying to determine who the hell she was, but he didn’t seem judgemental in the least. He removed his hand from his pocket and stuck it out to her with a grin.

“Sorry, you must be new! I’m Luke, aka Yungtown among my friends. Uh…” He looked back at the window again, but the graveyard had gone. Hana followed his gaze, seeing only rolling hills. She glanced at his hand and slowly took it, giving it a small shake. Her face flushed as he gripped a bit harder, though not painfully.

“Hana, Hana Mizuno. It’s my first year at Asagao,” she said softly. He nodded and released her hand, sticking his back in his pocket and leaning on the frame. She looked up momentarily, but he was looking out the window again, the tips of his ears red. There was an awkward silence before Hana softy cleared her throat. “So, the graveyard…?” His cheeks gained a tinge of colour and he chuckled quietly.

“Right. It’s uh… it’s really a story that you probably won’t believe, honestly. It’s pretty crazy sounding,” he admitted, scuffing his toe on the ground. Hana was struck by his shyness, considering he had spoken first in the beginning. She waited for him to continue again, but he seemed to be thinking. He was chewing his cheek, she realized, and he looked pained.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she said, and he looked at her again. “If it hurts, you don’t have to talk about it.” She offered a small smile, which he reciprocated, but he still seemed really distracted. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head and adjusted the headphones. He seemed to be wiggling and moving a lot, small nervous tics that made guilt wash over Hana. She opened her mouth again, to apologize, but he interrupted her before she could speak. 

“You’re probably better off asking your roommate. For some reason I’m usually in town for something or locked up in my room studying or recording when things happen, so I always hear things second. Or even third or fourth. I’m not the most reliable person to hear it from.” He seemed confident all of a sudden and stood up straight. Hana went to speak again, but just then, the train began to break and slowed down. She stumbled in her spot, her foot tripping over the other, but Luke’s hand grasped her arm to keep her upright. 

She caught her footing as she adjusted to the force of the train and flushed a deep crimson. Luke grinned at her, all signs of his moment gone. She returned a tiny smile and he released her. “Thanks,” she mumbled, and he didn’t reply, only entered the cabin for the first time and reached up to grab her small duffle bag from the top shelf. 

Fear fluttered through Hana and she leapt forward, grasping for the handle of her bag. Her heart felt like it had paused, and then beat faster than ever, palpitating in her chest almost painfully. She managed to grab the bag and scrambled to the other side of the compartment, flattening herself against the small wall, her skin feeling cold and flushed. She gasped for breath as she held the duffle close to her body, tiny tears prickling in the corners of her eyes, one running a small line down her cheek. She couldn’t look at Luke. She tried not to hyperventilate and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on her exercises. In two three… Out two three… 

A hand softly touched her arm, nowhere near the bag, and she froze. “Are you okay?” Luke’s voice, deep with a calming effect, allowed her to take a deep breath. Of course, he wasn’t going to do anything. Right? But why did he grab her bag?

“Why would you do that?” A sob broke through her throat and she buried her head. There was a pause before the hand left her arm, and she felt strangely empty without it. Instead, he used soft force on her side, almost back, to lead her to sit down. She, feeling as if she were no longer in control, followed like a puppy. She left herself sit on the hard seat, but she kept her eyes clenched shut and her bag close to her chest. She felt him sit next to her, and she knew he didn’t really know what to do.

“I was just getting it down to give it to you. I didn’t want you to climb the seat and fall just trying to get it. You’re a little… short.” Hana popped her eyes open and glared at him reproachfully, only to see confusion and guilt etched across his face. Not guilt in a ‘I was stealing your bag and all the possessions you have’ way, but in a ‘I didn’t mean to make you panic’ way. She took another deep, slow breath and loosened her grip. “I’m sorry.” His voice calmed her a little more, sincerity ringing through. She nodded and continued her breathing until her heart had slowed. Embarrassment washed over her.

“No, I’m sorry. I assumed you were taking…” She glanced at her bag and he scratched the back of his neck. By now, the train was almost stopped, and there was clamoring in the corridor. The door was wide open, but no one spared a glance as they all ran to the doors. Hana watched them, jealous of their carefree scramble, before standing up. Luke followed suit quickly. Hana turned to him again and forced a smile. “I would appreciate if you never mention this to anyone,” she whispered, and he nodded quickly. He smiled back at her but she turned around.

Despite her terror of crowds, she forced herself to melt into it without another glance. She had already ruined her chance to make one friend. She had to try extra hard to fit in, now, because her anxiety had already introduced itself. She had to overpower it.


	2. Chapter 2

   Now that Hana was away from Luke, she felt like she could breathe better. She inhaled and exhaled as students jostled around her, and she clung to her duffle like it would be stolen from her again. Though, to be honest, Luke didn’t try to steal it. Her cheeks burned and she began to move with the crowd toward the doors of the train. It was practically stopped now, and students seemed to grapple to be the closest. Hana was definitely too close to be comfortable, but he wouldn’t expect her to be up here. She hoped.

   She didn’t really know why she needed to get away from him so bad. He had tried to help her, after all. Maybe she didn’t want to get attached to someone who had already seen her… bad side. She shifted the bag in her fingers as the train ground to a stop, making her fight to keep her balance. Someone stepped back and straight onto her toes, and she winced. People knocked her from every side, and she shut her eyes tightly, praying for the doors to open.

   As soon as they did, the people began to move like a wave, dragging her along with them. Nearly falling off the car, Hana gulped and freed herself from the clutches of the crowd. She backed away quickly, watching as the people moving past seemed to turn into a faceless and loud monster. An impossible number of people flowed out of the train, all moving confidently in the direction of the school, knowing exactly where to go, reunited with friends already. Once she thought she saw the yellow and black of Luke’s jacket, but it was gone in the blink of an eye and she couldn’t be sure if it was him. She tried her breathing techniques, but the prospect of what was happening was much too great, and she found it didn’t really help. She fingered her bright pink hair, cursing it, wishing the attention of a few quick glances would go away.

   Once the crowd started to peter out, Hana stood and rolled her hands down her skirt. It was partially to check to make sure it wasn’t riding up, but also partially to wipe her sweaty hands. It felt like she was sweating from everywhere, actually, the anxiety eating at her. She slung the duffle over her shoulder and smiled at a few people she made eye contact with. They smiled back and she fell in step behind them.

   “When do you think it’ll start?” one asked the others. A blonde girl made a face and shook her head, her straight hair flipping excessively.

   “Is that all you think about?” she snarled, and the original speaker stuck is hands in the air. She frowned and stuck her hands in her blazer pockets. “I don’t like thinking about it. It could be any one of us next. You realize that? We. Could. Be Next.”

   “Jaz. Stop worrying. I’ll protect you,” the third said, and nudged Jaz with his arm. She sighed and fell silent. The two guys looked pleadingly at the fourth, a tall girl, who only shrugged.

   “She’s right, you know.” It wasn’t the response the guys wanted and they both released a sigh in a puff of air, annoyed. Hana thought she could hear one of them mutter ‘girls,’ but it was too quiet to be sure, and the group fell silent.

   What were they talking about, though? Obviously, it was the thing that Luke had trouble talking about, but what exactly could it be? Murders? Suicides? Was there some kind of illness that spread through a few students? If that was the case, any of it… how was the school still up and running? It seemed as though it would be shut down if there was a major problem, but it was still running as though nothing was going on. Hana made a mental note to ask her roommate – Mai? – about it when they met and got settled in their room. That was assuming they got along and everything. Hana chewed on her lip as the gates came into view, looming over the chattering students. The ones just ahead of her remained silent as they walked, all lost in their own thoughts. She wanted to move past them, but that would be rude, and anyway, she didn’t want to rush.

   She took in the buildings around her, smiling lightly. Asagao Academy really was as gorgeous as the pictures online and in the brochures. Old buildings with ivy creeping up them perched on stretches of green space. Hana pulled out her creased map, which had been folded and unfolded many times. _Primrose House_. That was her dorm, apparently. Room 325. Mai Sasaki. But where was it?

   A greying man called for the first years, and Hana wondered if she should go to him. But she was a transfer student, not a first year. Maybe he meant new students in general, which was certainly her. She began to shuffle towards him, but a hand closed on her shoulder and she spun around, ready to run again.

   A redheaded girl was grinning in her face. “You must be Hana!” Hana recoiled, and the girl’s bright green eyes stared into her own. She nodded meekly and the girl laughed loudly, causing a few passersby to look over in shock. “I knew it! The main-character-pink hair gave it right away. I’m Mai!” Hana sighed inwardly; of course, the most energetic person on campus would be her roommate. She didn’t reply right away, but noticed a group of guys pointing at her and laughing, and heard a general ‘tryhard’ comment. Like that was new. Shame crawled down her neck and she turned her head back to Mai, who now had a worried expression on her face.

   “I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t offend you.” Mai frowned, and guilt washed over Hana.

   “No, no, it’s… the hair is a sensitive comment. Is there really something wrong with it?” Hana tried her best to not sound vulnerable, but she was sure some of her insecurity leaked into her words. Maybe even dripping with it, she couldn’t tell. She took a deep breath as silently as she could as Mai’s eyebrows furrowed.

   “Of course not. I totally wish I had pink hair. I’m stuck always being the sidekick. Though, I shouldn’t complain. Mimi is the annoying background character.” The downcast look suddenly turned into a grin. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Hana. Let’s go to our room!” Hana flushed pink and glanced at the elderly man who was still grouping up with a bunch of first years. Mai nudged her, and when Hana looked up, Mai shook her head.

   “Mr. Saitomo really just does tours. They’re long, boring, and don’t even show you the cool parts. I’ll be your tour guide.” Mai gave another prize-winning grin and Hana couldn’t help to smile back. Mai obviously hadn’t meant the hair comments in an offensive way, and she wasn’t about to fight back against her only kinda-friend at Asagao. Taking the smile as a yes, Mai linked her arm in Hana’s and led her towards Primrose.

   Hana was taken aback when she walked through the doors. Even the _walls_ were pink. Everything had a flowery, overly girly feel, and female students milled around, calling out ‘hellos’ and ‘how are yous’. Mai herself called to a few people as she dragged Hana up several flights of stairs. On their floor, she was introduced to a girl named Mimi (the annoying background character Mai had mentioned, Hana assumed) and another girl named Kakusu, who gave off a strange vibe along with small beeping noises and weird words. Hana didn’t question it, though, because Kakusu barely mentioned her hair. Mimi, however, sneered at it rudely.

   “Goody-two-shoes,” she heard Mimi say under her breath as they left, “probably going to end up best friends with they boys.” Mai shook her head as they made their way to room 325, fumbling with her keys slightly.

   “I can’t believe that’s all Mimi cares about,” she said, probably to Hana, but also partially to herself. “Sure, popularity is great and all, I would _love_ to be in Normal Boots, but you’ll probably have way more on your plate than fitting in with the local hunks.” Hana opened her mouth to comment, but before she could question Mai, the door unlocked and flew open. Mai turned to her and smiled, waving her into the small room that they’d be sharing for a while.

   Posters hung on the walls, models and bands that were popular. Hana nodded at a ‘Tortured Souls’ poster, and Mai grinned at her as she hung her blazer on a chair. The desk that the chair belonged to already had pens and notebooks sprawled across the surface. Obviously, that mess was Mai’s. The other desk, sitting on the other side of the room, was completely empty, so Hana walked over there and set her bag on the top before turning to take the rest of the room in.

   The top bunk was completely done up with a cozy comforter, soft pillows, and a few cute plushies. The bottom bunk, however, had a school-issued scratchy blanket and one sad, thin pillow. With a small grimace, Hana walked over and sat on it, running her hands over it. Luckily, the mattress itself was pretty comfortable, which made up for the bad bedspread. She looked up to se Mai looking sadly at her. 

   “Did you only bring one bag?” Mai blurted out, and both flushed scarlet. Hana nodded sheepishly and stood up to unpack her small duffle. She kept her back to Mai as she heard scuffling behind her, but she was much too embarrassed to look. Instead, she removed the notebooks and pens and set them in a drawer in the desk. Next, she took out a few pictures of her father. A few were in frames and stood on the top of the desk, while the rest went in the bottom drawer. She’d likely end up switching the pictures throughout the year. Keep it fresh, him fresh, in her memory. She hung up her few outfits and the extra uniform pieces in her side of the closet, which was easy to tell was hers because the other side was literally overflowing. Next came a small black box that also went in the bottom drawer, a portable radio that sat on top of the desk, and an old stuffed rabbit that Hana brought with her anywhere she slept.

   When she turned to place the bunny on the sad bunk, Mai was standing triumphantly in front of it with her hands on her hips. Instead of the old blankets, which were bundled at the door, a pretty purple comforter adorned her bunk, with two extra pillows and matching pillow cases. “I brought a lot of extras,” Mai explained, and Hana fought down tears. A watery smile rose to her lips as she hugged her rabbit closer to her.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, setting the plushie on the bed, completing it. Mai grinned at her and nodded. She spotted a bundle of fairy lights sitting, unplugged, on Mai’s desk, and she looked at her roommate questioningly. Mai grinned sheepishly (if that was possible) and shrugged.

  “I thought we could do that part together. But can we do that later? Are you ready for that tour now?” Mai bounced on the soles of her feet, but Hana frowned.

   “Can I ask you something first? I… haven’t been able to get much information from anyone else. I’d like to know before…” Mai froze. Hana had tried to sound calm, patient, kind… but had she been offensive? Maybe her roommate really wasn’t the best person to ask after all. “Or not… I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” Hana’s cheeks were bright red, she could feel it. Mai stared, her teeth ground together, her jaw locked, before she took a deep breath and forced herself to relax.

   “The graveyard, right?” Hana was almost surprised, but not quite. It wasn’t something easily concealable, she guessed. Most students would wonder. Hana nodded, and Mai gave a small smile before sitting down on the soft mattress next to her new roommate. Mai was warm, and she exuded heat like she exuded optimism and happiness. Hana fleetingly wondered if she was sick or feverish, but it would be much too out there to ask. Mai took a deep breath before turning to Mai with a tiny smile.

  “Ready to hear Asagao’s biggest, darkest, deadliest secret? It’s a doozy.” All Hana could do was nod, and Mai prepared to tell the tale. Perhaps Hana shouldn’t call it a ‘tale’ though. People seemed to literally be dying. This was life.

   “It started a few years ago. There’s a serial killer on the loose on campus and no one knows who, how, or why. There’s no real reason. No clear patterns or motives. And to be frank, I’m worried about you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: talk of suicide and death. This is a heavier chapter in general.

“I’m worried about you.”  
Hana gaped at her roommate, wondering if Mai was playing with her. But the redhead just looked back at her, a solemn look on her face. There was silence between the two for a moment before Hana let out a soft, hesitant giggle.  
“You’re joking, aren’t you? I’m not in any danger. I’m the new girl. No one knows me, rig- Mai?” Hana was cut off as her roommate stood up abruptly, shaking her head, and paced across the room and back a few times, her movements tinged with desperation. As she headed toward the closet for the third time, Hana felt bile rise in her throat. Mai looked seriously concerned. “Come back, explain,” Hana forced herself to say, fear rising.   
Mai faced her with her hands tangled in her long hair. Her eyebrows were practically touching and she was chewing her lip incessantly, drawing blood that she licked away as soon as it came. Something was bothering her, something huge. She definitely wasn’t joking around, Hana realized. This was the face of someone who was terrified. Mai didn’t make any move to speak up, so Hana stood to face her. Mai’s troubled green eyes bore into her own.  
“Mai,” Hana said again, more forcefully this time. “What’s the problem?” Mai’s posture drooped and she stepped forward, only a bit closer but still out of arm’s reach. She didn’t seem like the type to run out of words, but already, it seemed like Hana had made assumptions too quickly.   
“That’s the type of attitude that gets the main character white girl killed.” The words took Hana by surprise. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, waiting for Mai to change something, anything, about the sentence, but Mai suddenly looked confident and sure. The look in her eyes now, instead of insecurity, was a challenge.  
“What do you keep talking about, ‘main character’? I’m just a girl. This isn’t some story or video game, Mai. This is life.” Mai rolled her eyes, as if to say ‘typical’. Hana felt a surge of anger run through her, and she started talking before she could stop herself. “I’m serious, Mai! Stop talking about me as if I’m a clueless bimbo!” Hana felt tears well up in her eyes and behind the haze, something in Mai shifted. But Hana wasn’t about to stop now. “All my life, ever since my stupid hair turned pink, people have made assumptions about me. I’m a goody-two-shoes, I’m popular with a sad backstory, and I can’t see what’s in front of me. Isn’t that right? Isn’t that what you think, too? I know weird things follow me around. Yes, I can be a fucking cliché. But I am not like those people. Treat me like a person.”  
A silence fizzled in the air around them as Mai stared at Hana with her eyes wide. Her arms hung limply at her side and her mouth sat open a little bit. Hana realized that her hands were in fists and suspended a little bit, relaxing them with a deep breath and unballing them. She still stared defiantly at her roommate, though, who stared in shock right back at her.   
Eventually, Mai’s face morphed into a grin, before she quickly forced her features back into a more serious expression. She nodded and stepped forward again to perch herself on the bed, staring up at Hana, who was taken by surprise and was staring right back. Mai patted the bed like she was calling a dog up. “Sit,” she said, and Hana did, still looking suspiciously at her roommate. Mai took a deep breath before looking at Hana again.  
“Okay, I’ll go about this a different way. Trouble and events have a tendency to follow you around, right?” Hesitantly, Hana nodded. Mai nodded back at her. “I’m going to talk to you with that observation, or knowledge, or whatever you wanna call it, in mind.” Hana nodded again, slightly more satisfied, so that Mai continued. “Okay. So… I’m worried about you because if trouble usually follows you around, this trouble will too. It’s a bit hard to explain, but basically there’s a serial killer somewhere on or around campus.”   
That was not, or at least not really, what Hana expected. She stared at her roommate with a mix of shock and awe. When she decided to come to Asagao, she expected a relatively close-knit community with gorgeous buildings and hopefully, less bullying. She did not sign up to be the next victim of a serial killer. No way.  
Mai must have realized what Hana was thinking because she reached out and placed a hand on Hana’s arm. “I don’t think you’ll be the next victim, Hana. If that helps.” A wave of nausea grew in Hana’s throat and she pulled her arm away, burying her face in her hands. She could feel Mai sitting next to her, unsure of what to do, but she stared through the cracks in her fingers to stare at the floor. Of course that didn’t help. Even if she was the main character trope, that wouldn’t help. That would mean her friends would probably die and suffer. Hell.   
“Hana, are you okay?” Hana snorted into her hands and tipped her head to stare at Mai. The redhead was obviously chewing her cheek again, staring at Hana as if trying to figure her out. Hana could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she thought, though about what, she could only guess.  
Hana sat up and took a deep breath, although the anxiety was still swimming mercilessly in her stomach and she was fighting an attack. There was still a lot more to hear and understand and she wasn’t leaving this room until she knew. If she had an attack, that could mean days. That, she decided, she did not want to happen.  
“Continue, Mai.” Her voice shook, and Mai looked like she wanted to argue, but she nodded apprehensively. “If I need you to stop, I’ll say so. I promise.” Hell if she was going to push herself too far. (If she was honest, she would push herself and then pay for it. She probably wouldn’t admit that.)  
“Okay, well, here goes then. For the past few years, there’s been a problem. I guess maybe it isn’t too hard to explain.” Mai let out a nervous laugh before continuing. “Like I said, there’s a serial killer. The graves you saw were the victims. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of connection or anything between the poor people, besides the fact that they were all killed, and it was definitely by the same person. It’s a mystery that’s haunted Asagao for years now. It’s random and like the flip of a switch. Fine, and then five people get murdered. The stuff of legends, I’d call it. It’s so sick, Hana. If you didn’t know any better, if the cops just looked at the crime scene and didn’t investigate, it could almost be a string of suicides.” Hana put up a hand, and Mai stopped, looking almost relieved. But Hana didn’t plan on stopping.  
“Suicides? Are you telling me that the Asagao killer likes to make his murders look like suicides?” Hana flinched, hyperaware of the stupidity she just spat out (of course that’s what Mai was telling her, that was literally what she said). Mai only nodded, sparing more embarrassment, and Hana swept it away the best she could to focus on the topic at hand. It wasn’t too difficult to get lost in the horrific possibility that someone thought it amusing, or funny even, that people could kill themselves.   
“Basically, the killer kills the victim in a way that could be taken as suicide. One time, they literally put a gun in a girl’s hand and forced it to her own head, using her own finger to pull the trigger. Clever, but… it’s disgusting. How someone can almost… set it up like they didn’t do it, and… people have those problems, you know? Being surrounded by this is just…” A shudder ran through Mai’s body and Hana placed her hand on Mai’s this time, offering a bit of comfort even as her own insides churned. Her own brain was going through the same processes as Mai’s. The thought of even a normal serial killer churned her stomach enough, but this one was especially sick. Suddenly, she felt like she had to lay down, so she kicked off her shoes and collapsed back on the bed. Mai followed, and as another offering of comfort, Hana curled her fingers through Mai’s. The act seemed to make Mai a bit more confident again, and she continued.  
“I don’t know what triggers it. Like I said, everything is going fine and then it hits and somebody is found dead. Sometimes, someone really will commit suicide, and then… it’s sad. It’s a sad ass school and the principal and teachers want to keep sweeping it under the rug and then are sad when they go. Hana, I need you to know something.” Mai rolled onto her side to face Hana, who turned her head to look back. Mai’s eyes were sad and tears were building up, and as Hana watched, one rolled out of her eye and over her nose, down her face.   
“They say you can get help, and you can. There are therapists on hand, and a whole lot of them. But you can’t leave. No one can transfer out unless for real, genuine reasons, and unfortunately… being scared is not one of them. They won’t close the school. They won’t do anything. You’re stuck here now, and I’m sorry.”  
Another silence. Hana took a deep breath, urging herself to stay under control. She stared back at the rungs above her bed where her roommate would be sleeping, just breathing, feeling Mai’s gaze on her face, studying her. “I wasn’t really thinking of leaving,” she whispered, partially to herself, partially to Mai. “I mean, kind of, who wouldn’t? But I can’t go home, anyway. So what’s the point of that? Here’s better than nowhere.” Mai turned back over and didn’t say anything, so they sat there quietly a little bit longer. Hana was aware that they were still holding hands, but it was almost… comforting. Mai didn’t let go, either.  
They lay like that for a while, hand in hand, thinking, breathing. Hana turned the story over and over in her head, and she realized, after a lot of thinking, that she didn’t need to hear much more. She had what she needed. There was a killer and she probably wouldn’t be a victim, but she would almost definitely be involved. Probably deeply involved, she knew. Mai spoke truth, as much as she didn’t want to admit it. She would be a huge part of this mystery, whether she liked it or not, and that pressed on her chest heavily, bile rising in her throat.   
In an instant she was up and on her feet, her hand detached from Mai’s, and her shoes were somehow back on and walking to the door. “Mai.”  
She could hear Mai sit up behind her, but she didn’t look back. She could feel herself trembling, and she needed out of the tiny dorm room immediately.  
“I’m ready for that tour now, please. I’ll be outside.” She snatched her keys and ID from her desk and left, already halfway down the hallway by the time Mai had found her shoes.


End file.
